Grass catcher assembly

ABSTRACT

A grass catcher assembly for a lawn mower including a rectangular main frame adapted to be supported at the rear of a lawn mower in a horizontal plane, a rectangular subframe having a bag suspended therefrom with the subframe slidably mounted for movement in a horizontal plane relative to said main frame. Closing the top of the bag is a cover releasably secured on the main frame and having an inlet opening for receiving a chute extending from the blade housing of the mower to deliver grass clippings into the bag through the cover. The inlet opening is located to one side of the cover and defined by a raised portion on the cover which also defines a passage for guiding the grass clippings in the longitudinal direction of the bag to ensure uniform distribution of the grass clippings across the bag. The subframe with the bag depending therefrom is releasably retained in the main frame for use by means of a pivoted stop which may be moved to release the subframe and permit it together with the bag to be slid in a horizontal plane out of the main frame for discharging the contents of the bag.



1. A grass catcher assembly comprising in combination a main frame adapted to be connected to a lawnmower or the like, a grass receiving receptacle, means on said frame for mounting said receptacle on said main frame for movement between a use position located adjacent said main frame and a discharge position spaced from said main frame to expose the receptacle for discharge of its contents, said receptacle having an open top portion, and a cover overlying and closing said receptacle opening, said cover having an inlet opening raised from the plane of the open top portions for receiving a chute adapted to be connected to an associated lawnmower for conveying grass clippings from the lawnmower to said receptacle through said cover, said cover having means forming a conduit portion raised from the open top portion extending generally in the longitudinal direction of the receptacle and communicating with the interior of the receptacle, said conduit portion terminating at one end in said inlet opening for directing grass clippings to be deposited generally throughout the longitudinal direction of the receptacle.
 1. A grass catcher assembly comprising in combination a main frame adapted to be connected to a lawnmower or the like, a grass receiving receptacle, means on said frame for mounting said receptacle on said main frame for movement between a use position located adjacent said main frame and a discharge position spaced from said main frame to expose the receptacle for discharge of its contents, said receptacle having an open top portion, and a cover overlying and closing said receptacle opening, said cover having an inlet opening raised from the plane of the open top portions for receiving a chute adapted to be connected to an associated lawnmower for conveying grass clippings from the lawnmower to said receptacle through said cover, said cover having means forming a conduit portion raised from the open top portion extending generally in the longitudinal direction of the receptacle and communicating with the interior of the receptacle, said conduit portion terminating at one end in said inlet opening for directing grass clippings to be deposited generally throughout the longitudinal direction of the receptacle.
 2. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said conduit gradually diminishes in height from said inlet opening to the opposite end of the conduit.
 3. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 2 wherein said conduit gradually diminishes in width from said inlet opening to the opposite end of the conduit.
 4. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 3 wherein the opposite end of the conduit lies generally in the plane of the cover.
 5. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 4 wherein said inlet opening faces to one side of the receptacle and the conduit curves from the inlet opening to the opposite end of the conduit.
 6. The assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said receptacle includes a subframe defining an opening and a bag-like enclosure suspended from said subframe about the opening in said subframe.
 7. The assembly defined in claim 6 wherein said bag-like enclosure has a zipper means about an upper edge portion thereof for releasably securing said bag-like enclosure to said subframe.
 8. The assembly defined in claim 6 wherein said main frame and subframe are formed from rigid elongated members, and wherein said cover is made from self supporting material with the conduit portion integral with the cover.
 9. The assembly defined in claim 8 wherein said main and subframes have a generally rectangular shape.
 10. The assembly defined in claim 9 wherein said means mounting said receptacle on said main frame includes a pair of depending strap members on opposite ends of said main frame for receiving opposite end portions of said subframe.
 11. The assembly defined in claim 10 further including stop means on said main frame for releasably retaining said subframe on said main frame.
 12. The assembly defined in claim 11 wherein said main frame has a pair of tubular members depending downwardly therefrom at an angle to the plane of said main frame adapted to be received over posts on an associated lawn mower to locate and support said main frame in a generally horizontal plane.
 13. The assembly defined in clAim 11 wherein said stop means includes a stop member pivoted to the main frame for movement between an operative blocking position preventing sliding movement of said subframe relative to said main frame and a release position permitting said subframe to be slid out of said main frame.
 14. The assembly defined in claim 13 including means releasably mounting said cover to said main frame.
 15. The assembly defined in claim 14 wherein said cover is made from a self-supporting plastic material.
 16. In combination with a lawnmower having a blade housing including a cutting blade for cutting grass in the blade housing, a discharge opening in the housing for discharging grass clippings cut in the housing, a chute attached to the housing in communication with the discharge opening and extending rearwardly of the mower for conducting grass clippings from the housing and rearwardly of the mower; a grass catcher assembly comprising a main frame mounted to the lawnmower at the rear thereof, a grass receiving receptacle mounted on said frame for slidable movement in a horizontal plane between a use position located in said main frame and a discharge position spaced from said main frame to expose the receptacle for discharge of its contents, and wherein said chute is in communication with said receptacle to convey grass clippings from the lawnmower housing to the receptacle, said receptacle including a cover on the top end thereof closing the receptacle, said cover having a conduit means raised above the plane of the bottom of the cover defining a conduit receiving said chute for directing grass clippings from one end to the other end of the receptacle.
 17. The combination defined in claim 16 wherein said receptacle includes a subframe defining an opening and a bag like closure suspended from said subframe about the opening in said subframe, said cover closing said opening.
 18. The combination defined in claim 17 wherein said conduit has an inlet receiving said chute and facing towards one side of said receptacle and wherein said conduit gradually diminishes in height and width from said inlet to the opposite end of the conduit.
 19. The combination defined in claim 18 wherein said conduit curves from said inlet towards the opposite end of the conduit.
 20. A grass catcher assembly comprising in combination; a receptacle for receiving grass clippings from a lawnmower, the receptacle being adapted to be mounted on a lawnmower, said receptacle including a bottom wall and side walls defining a chamber for receiving grass clippings, a cover on said receptacle closing said chamber, said cover having a conduit means raised above the top of said chamber communicating with the chamber for directing the deposit of grass clippings in the chamber, one end of said conduit means being located adjacent one end of the receptacle and defining an inlet opening for receiving a chute for conducting grass clippings therein, said conduit means extending longitudinally a substantial distance along the cover towards the other end of the cover and receptacle whereby grass clippings are deposited substantially along the entire end to end direction of the receptacle.
 21. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 20 wherein said inlet opening faces to one side of the receptacle and the conduit means curves from the inlet opening into the end to end direction of the receptacle.
 22. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 20 wherein said conduit means diminishes in height from the inlet opening to the opposite end of the conduit means.
 23. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 22 wherein said conduit means gradually diminishes in width from the inlet opening to the opposite end of the conduit means.
 24. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 22 wherein the conduit means terminates at its opposite end in the plane of the cover substantially.
 25. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 24 wherein said inlet opening is positioned at said one side of the receptacle.
 26. The grass catcher assembly defined in claim 25 wherein said inlet opening faces to one side of the receptacle and also partly downwardly in the direction towards the plane of the bottom wall of the receptacle. 